Lee's wisdom and dignity

This year our political parties have elected through primaries two qualified individuals in the contest to become the 50th governor of Tennessee. It deserves a few minutes of your time to consider the best future of our state and the 6.7 million souls who live here.

Citizens in healthy representative democracies deserve leaders who respect and reflect their values. As anyone with a serious interest in politics can tell you, this may not mean the smartest, kindest, best educated or even most experienced person wins every race. You get those kinds of men and women as leaders only when you’re lucky.

In that light, Tennessee is beyond fortunate. Bill Lee has a heart big enough to stretch from Mountain City to Memphis. He has the experience and aptitude for the governor’s office tempered by a servant leader’s ethic and the humility to understand the need for broad citizen support, no matter how they vote.

Bill Lee reflects the best of Tennessee. He will serve us with wisdom and dignity while exemplifying integrity and kindness. He isn’t just playing nice to get votes. That’s no different than adding sugar to unsweetened tea. It’s just not the same as kindness, with the good stuff boiled right in. That’s Bill, and that’s what a leader ought to be.

I encourage everyone to go to vote for Bill Lee at early voting or on Election Day, Nov. 6. As a young Tennessean, I am enthusiastic for Bill to be our next governor.

Brandon Whiteley, attorney, president of the Shelby County Young Republicans, counsel to the Tennessee Young Republicans

Enforcing all of the laws

As I watch the news regarding the "immigrant caravan" coming toward the United States, I must turn my thoughts to the violence that occurs in the U.S. Some will have you believe the reason is the lack of gun control. I offer a different reason. When we as a country pick and choose which laws we will enforce and which laws we will allow to be broken, what message are we sending to our citizens? Are some laws more important than others? Are U.S. youth correct in assuming we are a country without laws?

It is a dangerous precedent when we as a nation of laws have the representatives of our legislative branch, the branch that writes the laws, go on different media outlets and say that people entering our country illegally is good and we should not enforce our border laws. This leads to a belief that the government will also not enforce other laws.

If someone from a foreign country needs to seek asylum in a different country, there are steps in place for those people to file for asylum. Let's become a nation of law-abiding citizens by enforcing all laws equally. Send a message to the young people of the U.S. that laws are made to be followed and laws are made to be enforced. And let's remind all citizens of this country the following: The legislative branch creates the laws, the executive branch enforces the laws, and the judicial branch determines the constitutionality of the laws. It is time each branch of government does the job the citizens elect them to do.